No. I'm bringing her in at the end of July, apparently nothing would be conclusive until mid July anyway. Maybe a bit selfish, but I don't fancy getting her tested a couple of days before we go on the Melendez family annual holiday, just in case. She's in flying form at the minute, so I'd be confident she's not actually sick. She was very quiet for a while after her brother disappeared and had me a bit worried but I guess she just missed him. She's back to her old self now. Fingers crossed, I'll be surprised if she shows up positive.
Life sucks ...
- Thread starter redhead
- Start date
Can't say I blame you, Mel. It would cast a gloom over the whole family and everyone would worry at a time when you are all supposed to be having a rest and a good time.
Fingers and toes crossed for her. Have a good holiday.
Isi - he loves rice pudding. I buy those little pots of Ambrosia and his really big treat is opening a new one, with all the cream at the top. At the next serving mean ole Redhead mashes the rice to a paste, to make sure he gets the carbs.
I had to think of ways to get him to eat during the hot weather last year and now seem to have cracked it as he recently put on a kilo.
Packets of ready-cooked flame-grilled chicken (Tesco only, doesn't like Sainsbury or M&S), pots of rice pudding, yogurt (Yeo Valley Organic, if you please), Iams biscuits, Go-Cat biscuits - it looks like a ruddy buffet!
Tilly loves ice-cream, Dougal's not too fussed. He does love most dairy products, though.
His latest love? Cheesecake.
I don't often shop at M&S, but for a treat occasionally it is nice to splash out on a few things. I bought a lovely blackcurrant cheesecake last week and had to fight Dougal off as he kept trying to raid my pudding bowl.
I told him he wouldn't like it but, being a cat ... "Why haven't we had this before?".
Tilly's latest fad? Baked beans - with all the associations. She sounded like a wasp in a bottle the other evening.
My, how those stumpy wee legs shift up the garden path last thing at night. :blink:
Fingers and toes crossed for her. Have a good holiday.
Isi - he loves rice pudding. I buy those little pots of Ambrosia and his really big treat is opening a new one, with all the cream at the top. At the next serving mean ole Redhead mashes the rice to a paste, to make sure he gets the carbs.
I had to think of ways to get him to eat during the hot weather last year and now seem to have cracked it as he recently put on a kilo.
Packets of ready-cooked flame-grilled chicken (Tesco only, doesn't like Sainsbury or M&S), pots of rice pudding, yogurt (Yeo Valley Organic, if you please), Iams biscuits, Go-Cat biscuits - it looks like a ruddy buffet!
Tilly loves ice-cream, Dougal's not too fussed. He does love most dairy products, though.
His latest love? Cheesecake.
I don't often shop at M&S, but for a treat occasionally it is nice to splash out on a few things. I bought a lovely blackcurrant cheesecake last week and had to fight Dougal off as he kept trying to raid my pudding bowl.
I told him he wouldn't like it but, being a cat ... "Why haven't we had this before?".
Tilly's latest fad? Baked beans - with all the associations. She sounded like a wasp in a bottle the other evening.
My, how those stumpy wee legs shift up the garden path last thing at night. :blink:
We had a couple of Siamese cats when I was young, one at a time. When you were eating a yoghurt they would sit patiently waiting for their turn. Once they heard a spoon scrape off the bottom of the carton they would move in. Both of them, although one was particularly bad, would become quite violent if you put the spoon in your mouth after it had been noted touching the end of the carton.
Without meaning to put down the current incumbent they really do make fantastic pets for people willing to serve them. More like a dog than a cat. Very loud and effective communicators. Highly vocal in pointing out their needs to you and in appreciation of your humble efforts. I hate the triangular heads they mostly seem to breed them with nowadays, the roundy heads were much nicer.
Without meaning to put down the current incumbent they really do make fantastic pets for people willing to serve them. More like a dog than a cat. Very loud and effective communicators. Highly vocal in pointing out their needs to you and in appreciation of your humble efforts. I hate the triangular heads they mostly seem to breed them with nowadays, the roundy heads were much nicer.
I always wanted a Siamese cat, but ended up with several Burmese instead[was concerned about what I'd heard of their vocalising..if that's a proper word]. They too are getting thinner and more angular and I don't think they look better for it. Much as I loved them, they wore me out. We had a cat pen as they weren't allowed outside [I understand that Siamese are more sensible and can be let out?] and I had to know exactly where they were if anyone opened a door or window. In retrospect it was awful having a cat without freedom to go hunting and exploring, but we lived on a very busy road and I'd lost too many cats in accidents..it was house cat or no cat. So intelligent, though. Had to change all the door handles. One was a wool eater and ate my ex's arran sweater; you couldn't leave socks lying around. I'll never forget the first time we bought home a Burmese kitten; I looked into her eyes and there was a look of such intelligence..she sat on my shoulder and just calmy looked around the room. After a few weeks she got outside and was knocked down and killed that night. After that we made sure the Burmese never got out. [must point out we did have an outside run for them, but it wasn't the same as complete freedom]. I now look on my whippet as a dog/cat hybrid..very cat like. But I do miss having a cat in my life.
How sad, Moe!
Oscar was a black Burmese and, as you say, very intelligent.
I didn't know that they were beginning to breed Burmese thinner and more angular. The whole beauty of that breed is their size and sturdiness, yet with elegance and athleticism.
I have yet to have been owned by a Siamese, but a friend had one - Amos - and he absolutely terrorised visitors who didn't know him, particularly men. He had an intimidating habit of staring at men's flies, looking as if he was about to pounce any minute (which he sometimes did, if he didn't like the man). Women were subjected to a long, assessing stare while he decided whether to hop onto their laps or leap over them and whizz round the room bouncing off the furniture.
When he was a kitten, Debs woke up one morning with Amos's head in her mouth. Apparently she had been lying on her back and snoring a little, so Amos had gone to investigate.
When I got Oscar, I was told that Burmese are very territorial. I saw no signs of it while we lived in town, but once I moved back to my village Oscar was top cat in the neighbourhood, right up to the age of 20. I did realise that he was very possessive of me but not quite how much until a neighbour, whose cat had been making a fuss of me, told me that that evening Oscar raided their house and bashed their cat up on its own hearthrug!
Oscar was a black Burmese and, as you say, very intelligent.
I didn't know that they were beginning to breed Burmese thinner and more angular. The whole beauty of that breed is their size and sturdiness, yet with elegance and athleticism.
I have yet to have been owned by a Siamese, but a friend had one - Amos - and he absolutely terrorised visitors who didn't know him, particularly men. He had an intimidating habit of staring at men's flies, looking as if he was about to pounce any minute (which he sometimes did, if he didn't like the man). Women were subjected to a long, assessing stare while he decided whether to hop onto their laps or leap over them and whizz round the room bouncing off the furniture.
When he was a kitten, Debs woke up one morning with Amos's head in her mouth. Apparently she had been lying on her back and snoring a little, so Amos had gone to investigate.
When I got Oscar, I was told that Burmese are very territorial. I saw no signs of it while we lived in town, but once I moved back to my village Oscar was top cat in the neighbourhood, right up to the age of 20. I did realise that he was very possessive of me but not quite how much until a neighbour, whose cat had been making a fuss of me, told me that that evening Oscar raided their house and bashed their cat up on its own hearthrug!
Isinglass
At the Start
Mel, yes Siamese are very voacl. I grew up with them, my Mother bred them. So I was most surprised when we took in a big stray moggy who had a teeny meow. I like Burmese a lot also. I guess I like all cats! But now I have had so many rescue ones I am partial to moggys. Whippets are wonderful too, always wanted one.
Krizon is right, cats do have slaves. :lol:
Dougal really has gourmet tastes, and yours are so lucky to have you interested in what they eat. Our ferals have finally begun to experiment and get all excited when they find something new. usually what we are eating!
Krizon is right, cats do have slaves. :lol:
Dougal really has gourmet tastes, and yours are so lucky to have you interested in what they eat. Our ferals have finally begun to experiment and get all excited when they find something new. usually what we are eating!
While you are eating it, in my house!
Isinglass
At the Start
:<3: ha ha!
Dougal excelled himself the other night. I had a late dinner and decided to watch TV with a tray on my lap.
Unfortunately, old baldy-bum wanted a cuddle - now!
He sat and scowled at the tray on my lap from the arm of the sofa. He then moved onto the arm of my chair and sat staring at the plate and then at me as if to say: "Still not finished?"
He then moved onto the back of my chair and watched my plate from over my shoulder.
Finally, getting very impatient and fed up of waiting, he walked across the back of my chair, got on to the right arm of the chair, hopped up on my shoulder, walked across my chest and lay down!
All I could see was cat and as for finishing dinner ...
Unfortunately, old baldy-bum wanted a cuddle - now!
He sat and scowled at the tray on my lap from the arm of the sofa. He then moved onto the arm of my chair and sat staring at the plate and then at me as if to say: "Still not finished?"
He then moved onto the back of my chair and watched my plate from over my shoulder.
Finally, getting very impatient and fed up of waiting, he walked across the back of my chair, got on to the right arm of the chair, hopped up on my shoulder, walked across my chest and lay down!
All I could see was cat and as for finishing dinner ...
Colin Phillips
At the Start
Life sucks..................if you were born in The Horn of Africa.
Very difficult to reconcile the prizes of offer in the Euro-Lottery with the pictures we are getting of people starving.
Very difficult to reconcile the prizes of offer in the Euro-Lottery with the pictures we are getting of people starving.
Harder to reconcile the multi-millions we send to the affected countries in aid, and know that their filthy governments, or what pass for them, are pocketing most of it for their luxury villas, Savile Row suits, and Swiss bank accounts. Ex-Prez of Zambia, Chiluba, died a few weeks ago. He left office before his death with racks of suits at £2,000 a pop, the massed ranks of raids on Harrods and European designer outlets, Swiss bank accounts bursting with £23,000,000 of British 'aid' raided from his country's HIV-ravaged orphans, dirt-poor farmers, potholed roads and frequent power outages.
All most of these countries need are a scattering of desalination plants along their coastlines, with water pipelines (like oil pipelines) to push the water to other countries when needed. Yes, they cost a few million each, but instead of hurling millions after millions every single year at these inept and corrupt places, we should be building these for them and ensuring that the farmers can actually farm and help to keep their own countries alive.
The lotteries are no worse, morally, than the billions put into gambling by punters every year - horses, dogs, spreads, casinos, you-name-it. You might as well say how disgusting the profits are from gambling overall - people able to bung their dosh on the favourite in the 3.30 while thousands starve elsewhere. But the money is there for them - it's already been made available, year on year, by YOU, the taxpayer. A percentage of what you work for is donated to corrupt, rubbishy foreign governments who then spend it on furnishing themselves with Bentleys or Cadillacs, vanity projects, idiotic space programmes, huge military budgets, etc. before a pitiful little drops down to those at whom it was originally aimed. We seem to have a piss-poor audit trail on aid, that's for sure. If we had better accountants and more people in government agencies whose moral compass hadn't rusted solid, thousands of people would never die annually through disease, starvation, or thirst, and their countries would thrive.
All most of these countries need are a scattering of desalination plants along their coastlines, with water pipelines (like oil pipelines) to push the water to other countries when needed. Yes, they cost a few million each, but instead of hurling millions after millions every single year at these inept and corrupt places, we should be building these for them and ensuring that the farmers can actually farm and help to keep their own countries alive.
The lotteries are no worse, morally, than the billions put into gambling by punters every year - horses, dogs, spreads, casinos, you-name-it. You might as well say how disgusting the profits are from gambling overall - people able to bung their dosh on the favourite in the 3.30 while thousands starve elsewhere. But the money is there for them - it's already been made available, year on year, by YOU, the taxpayer. A percentage of what you work for is donated to corrupt, rubbishy foreign governments who then spend it on furnishing themselves with Bentleys or Cadillacs, vanity projects, idiotic space programmes, huge military budgets, etc. before a pitiful little drops down to those at whom it was originally aimed. We seem to have a piss-poor audit trail on aid, that's for sure. If we had better accountants and more people in government agencies whose moral compass hadn't rusted solid, thousands of people would never die annually through disease, starvation, or thirst, and their countries would thrive.
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Isinglass
At the Start
So true Colin and Kri! I don't expect everybody to give everything up but it does put me off having so much stuff when you see how bad off a lot of people are, everywhere.
I guess all we can do is our own small bit, and it does make difference.
Well, Dougal stories always cheer me up. I think after one encounters grief and/or hard times in your own life then you appreciate things more too. That saying about youth being wasted on the young is true, and the same could be said of money probably to a certain degree. I had far more when I was younger and had no idea how to manage it.
Dougal sure knows how to get what he wants, and shows such patience aand persistance. :<3: Our black cat Minnie likes to sit in between us on the sofa while we eat dinner watching tv. Very naughty, hatrdly ever use the table if on our own. But she is clumsy and tends to get her tail in our meal. She then gets most indignant at us, it is of course our fault, not hers!
I guess all we can do is our own small bit, and it does make difference.
Well, Dougal stories always cheer me up. I think after one encounters grief and/or hard times in your own life then you appreciate things more too. That saying about youth being wasted on the young is true, and the same could be said of money probably to a certain degree. I had far more when I was younger and had no idea how to manage it.
Dougal sure knows how to get what he wants, and shows such patience aand persistance. :<3: Our black cat Minnie likes to sit in between us on the sofa while we eat dinner watching tv. Very naughty, hatrdly ever use the table if on our own. But she is clumsy and tends to get her tail in our meal. She then gets most indignant at us, it is of course our fault, not hers!
Exactly what my mother was saying the other night, Kri. She was an RAF auditor and spent a couple of years in Aden and North Africa during the 50's (chasing a corruption trail). She, too, sees desalination plants as being integral to such countries' well-being.
As you say, yes they cost millions to construct, but save millions of lives and pounds in the long run, allowing the people clean drinking / washing water and good-quality water for farming and industry.
Just handing the money over to such governments is not good enough. They should be made to account for every penny received. Maybe a UK agent in each country receiving such aid could be given the funds and made responsible for spending them, rather than seeing the "government" squander it on weaponry and high-living.
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A little perturbed earlier this week when Dougal when for his chemo. He has had a raspy cough for a few weeks now. It reacted well to antibiotics, becoming less persistent, but it is still there. He gets an episode or two per day, which last between 30 seconds and a minute.
I mentioned it to Mary, his vet, who thinks that the lymphoma may now have travelled to his lungs, but that it should respond to the chemo.
Dougal himself is full of beans and currently bouncing around the house because it is too cold for him to go out to play. Having worked hard to get him almost fluffy (or at least looking like a "normal" cat), he promptly shed the whole of his coat after 2 hot days earlier this month and now feels the cold terribly.
Maybe I worry too much, but he is now just over 1 year post-diagnosis and Mary thought we could get him 1-2 years. I know that his life with me will be short and I accept that, but it still hurts to think that the end will not be too far away now.
He is such a lovable little character and has come such a long way since I adopted him. I really will miss him. I shall just try to make every day a happy one for him, because he is really loving life at the moment, and I shall try to do the same.
I mentioned it to Mary, his vet, who thinks that the lymphoma may now have travelled to his lungs, but that it should respond to the chemo.
Dougal himself is full of beans and currently bouncing around the house because it is too cold for him to go out to play. Having worked hard to get him almost fluffy (or at least looking like a "normal" cat), he promptly shed the whole of his coat after 2 hot days earlier this month and now feels the cold terribly.
Maybe I worry too much, but he is now just over 1 year post-diagnosis and Mary thought we could get him 1-2 years. I know that his life with me will be short and I accept that, but it still hurts to think that the end will not be too far away now.
He is such a lovable little character and has come such a long way since I adopted him. I really will miss him. I shall just try to make every day a happy one for him, because he is really loving life at the moment, and I shall try to do the same.
SHD is fine, all clear, but is constantly being attacked by this big black cat. We decided she needed a bodyguard so were looking at getting a rescue greyhound. There were none suitable available so we were looking through the online ads and did exactly what any animal lover would plead with you not to do, ie spend too much money on a non pedigree, bred for profit and sold on an online small ads site on a 3 hour round trip that we weren't coming home empty handed.
The bodyguard ...
(one of the black and white ones)...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ub6COcjOyeA&feature=player_embedded
The bodyguard ...
(one of the black and white ones)...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ub6COcjOyeA&feature=player_embedded
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trudij
Senior Jockey
terrifying... 
They look very healthy and happy - and if that's the Mum out playing with them, she looks fine, too. Charming little souls.
I think the reason why people will ask for money even for muttleys is to cut out the irresponsible plonker who won't respect the animal because he hasn't paid for it. Which is why our local dog rescue charges around £70 (maybe more now) for even the tattiest old tail-wagger to go home with you.
I think the reason why people will ask for money even for muttleys is to cut out the irresponsible plonker who won't respect the animal because he hasn't paid for it. Which is why our local dog rescue charges around £70 (maybe more now) for even the tattiest old tail-wagger to go home with you.
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You could come up with a nice Germanic-sounding name like Bitschenshitte, and no-one would be the wiser. When my father was asked what breed are well mixed mutt was, he would reply quite seriously, "Oh, him. He's a rare breed. He's a Polish Stoop Dog" (stoop as in porch) and this was never contested.
Excellent news, Mel.
Love the little barrels on legs bouncing around in the garden! They look very happy and healthy. What a lovely combination of two pretty, intelligent and sweet-natured breeds - maybe a "Schubich"?
Have fun!
Dougal the Destroyer strikes again!
2.00 in the morning, Tilly and Redhead dead to the world. CERRASSHHHH! Thump, thump, thump, bang!
The Almost Bald One had been out to play ("We cats are nocturnal, you know!") then came in for a snack and carried on playing indoors - bringing down the bookcase full of DVD's on the landing outside my bedroom.
Not sure who was more startled. Had to unhook Tilly from the curtains and it took the best part of 10 minutes for my heart to slow down.
I found Dougal hiding in his favourite place - the vegetable rack - all wild-eyed and hyper. Took the best part of an hour to calm us all down again - lots of milky drinks to help us all sleep again.
Then, to add insult to injury, Redhead gets up to go to work and Dougal is too knackered even to lift his head to say "Goodbye. Earn lots of Felix." Just to get my own back, I hauled his blanket off him to give him a cuddle and a kiss (yuk) and the grumpy little brute just burrowed further into his blanky.
I hate cats.
2.00 in the morning, Tilly and Redhead dead to the world. CERRASSHHHH! Thump, thump, thump, bang!
The Almost Bald One had been out to play ("We cats are nocturnal, you know!") then came in for a snack and carried on playing indoors - bringing down the bookcase full of DVD's on the landing outside my bedroom.
Not sure who was more startled. Had to unhook Tilly from the curtains and it took the best part of 10 minutes for my heart to slow down.
I found Dougal hiding in his favourite place - the vegetable rack - all wild-eyed and hyper. Took the best part of an hour to calm us all down again - lots of milky drinks to help us all sleep again.
Then, to add insult to injury, Redhead gets up to go to work and Dougal is too knackered even to lift his head to say "Goodbye. Earn lots of Felix." Just to get my own back, I hauled his blanket off him to give him a cuddle and a kiss (yuk) and the grumpy little brute just burrowed further into his blanky.
I hate cats.
Isinglass
At the Start
ha ha cats are so much fun! 